


Sins of Queen and Knight

by carnovalesque



Category: Merlin (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 20:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/613960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carnovalesque/pseuds/carnovalesque
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lancelot and Gwen are tried for their crimes, and Arthur reacts the only way he knows how.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sins of Queen and Knight

Arthur’s boot heels thundered on the cold marble corridor with each step he took. Merlin struggled to keep up with his liege, lifting his purple robes in his left hand as he did so. His own footsteps were silent.  
  
“Arthur, wait,” cried Merlin. Arthur did not halt nor acknowledge Merlin, merely continued to stride forward at the same harried pace. Merlin sighed, but only followed. When they arrived at Arthur’s chambers, Arthur reached into his robes to pull out his keys. Merlin looked on mutely as Arthur fumbled and fumbled with his ring of keys.  
  
“Arthur,” said Merlin quietly. Arthur ignored him. He finally found the key and attempted to thrust it into its keyhole, but his hands were shaking too violently.  
  
“Arthur,” said Merlin again, more insistently. “You have to breathe.” He placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder, but Arthur shoved him away roughly. He did, however, heed Merlin’s advice and take a slow, deep breath. Only then was he able to unlock the door to his chambers.  
  
“Get in,” said the King shortly, pointing Merlin’s way. Merlin hastened to obey, not wanting to anger Arthur any further. The trial that morning had gone by swiftly enough, for the offense and punishment were both clear. It was only a matter of formality that it had been held. Throughout its duration Arthur had been as composed as a King must be in such situations, but now that he was away from prying eyes, it seemed everything he had held back was inundating him.  
  
“I die for love of Guinevere,” Sir Lancelot had said loudly when his sentence was announced. He had been stripped of his entire knightly garb and dressed only in a white shift that bared his ankles. Stripped of all honour and dignity he had faced his accusers, but he did not seem to see his fellow knights leering at him in disgust as he held his head high. Only Gwaine had spoken for his comrade.  
  
“I know this knight well,” Gwaine had said. “He has fought beside me for many years, and I know him to be a man of honour and valour.” He turned to look at Arthur. “This man has often fought and risked his life for you, your Queen, and your Kingdom. His crime was not worthy of a Knight of the Round Table, nor of an honourable man, but it should not cost him his life. His past service should earn him some mercy from you.” As a lone voice, however, Gwain had been ignored.  
  
“Where is the Queen?” Arthur asked Merlin.  
  
Merlin had not seen Arthur this close up since yesterday. The King was ashen-faced, his hair dishevelled and unwashed, his inner shirt worn backwards. His face was blank, and his blue eyes were empty. The crescendo of light falling across his face made him appear gaunt. Merlin sighed.  
  
“Gwen is in the North Turret, as you left her,” Merlin said. “She’s still being guarded.”  
  
“Is anyone with her?”  
  
“You confined her to solitude.” Merlin watched carefully for Arthur’s reaction. “Remember?”  
  
“She has been accused of high treason,” Arthur snapped. “She’s lucky I didn’t throw her in the dungeons with her –” He turned his back to Merlin, ripped off his ermine cloak, and threw it on his bed, where it slid off the red velvet sheets and onto the floor. Arthur either did not notice or did not care. Merlin turned his gaze back to his King, who was gripping the post of his bed so hard his knuckles were as white as a corpse.  
  
“She has been _convicted_ of high treason,” said Merlin softly, his heart beginning to pound quicker.  
  
Arthur’s entire body stiffened.  
  
“And only you can pardon her,” Merlin continued.  
  
“I can’t do that,” Arthur said, barely audibly.  
  
“Yes, you can,” insisted Merlin.  
  
Arthur turned around, and when he did, his eyes were wide and wild. “No, I _can’t_ ,” he roared. He picked up the nearest vase and heaved it with all his might towards the window. Both the vase and the window exploded in a shower of sparkling shards. Merlin took two steps back. He was used to Arthur’s temper, but he had not seen him in such a rage in a long, long time.  
  
“How do you think this would _look_ , Merlin?” said Arthur, his tone no calmer. “I cannot simply pardon her for _high treason_ because she is the Queen, not when I espouse fair judgement left and right.”  
  
“But –”  
  
“What makes you think I could even look at her ever again?” said Arthur wildly. “What makes you think I could ever look into her eyes and be able love her again?”  
  
Merlin shook his head. “You haven’t stopped loving her. I _know_ you haven’t stopped loving her.”  
  
Hesitantly, he approached Arthur and laid a hand on his shoulder. This time the king did not pull away. After a moment, though, he crumbled into an armchair, his entire figure sagging.  
  
“I went to see her this morning,” said Arthur dully.  
  
“You – you did?” Merlin’s blinked. Gwen’s trial had been yesterday; like Lancelot, she had been condemned to burn at the stake. Arthur himself had passed the sentence. He had not even looked at Gwen once while doing so.  
  
“Do you know what she told me?” said Arthur, his voice cracking. “She asked me about _him_. About his trial. Begged me to spare him. Begged me not to burn him, because she _loves_ him.” Arthur buried his face in his hands, but it did him no good: Merlin could still hear his sobs.  
  
“That was the only thing she had to say to me,” Arthur continued bitterly, his shoulders shaking. “After everything, the _only_ thing she had to say to me was about him.”  
  
“Perhaps she didn’t think you would want to hear an apology," Merlin offered, privately wondering why Gwen had been so cruel.  
  
“Or perhaps she had no apology.” Arthur stood abruptly, almost causing Merlin to lose his balance. Arthur's’ eyes were bright and his voice oddly steady. “I need you to do something for me, Merlin.”  
  
“Anything, Your Grace,” said Merlin warily.  
  
“Sir Lancelot and the Queen are going to escape tonight,” said Arthur.  
  
Merlin staggered. “What? They – they have a plan? How? They’re as far apart from each other as possible. And how do you know?”  
  
“No, they don’t have a plan. But I do.” Arthur’s voice was growing flatter by the second. “ _You_ are going to help them escape. With magic.”  
  
Merlin stared.  
  
“Don’t gape at me like a gormless idiot,” barked Arthur. He reached forward and snapped his fingers in Merlin’s eyes. “Wake up, I need you alert.”  
  
“I – Arthur, I don’t understand.”  
  
Arthur snorted. “It’s not difficult. You’re going to get both of them out of their prisons – the Queen out of her tower and Sir Lancelot out of his cell. You’re going to supply them with horses and make it look like they were stolen. Then you’re going to help them escape the castle grounds.” Arthur looked straight into Merlin’s eyes. “Then you are going to tell both of them that they are never to return to Camelot. That if they ever set foot within the city or castle, I will not hesitate to have both of them executed for their crimes.”  
  
Merlin’s lips flapped as he struggled to compose a sentence. “You – you’re sending Gwen _away_? Arthur, no, you _can’t_.”  
  
“Would you rather I execute her?” Arthur snarled. When Merlin did not respond, he nodded. “Exile is preferable to death. You are to do this as inconspicuously as possible, do you understand? No one must know you helped them. You are not to tell _anyone._ ”  
  
“But – but Arthur, you need to think about this –”  
  
“I have thought about it,” said Arthur, falling into his chair once more. He slid down until the top of his blonde head was at level with the back of the chair. His legs were splayed languidly before him, his arms hanging limply off to the sides. It was as though, with the order he had given Merlin, all his strength had left him. “She’ll be with him, this way. She’ll be happy, at least. Neither of them will have to die. And I will still be a king respected.”  
  
Merlin stood frozen, sure that the only part of him in motion was his beating heart. He did not know what he was waiting for. He knew, however, that come the night, he was going to obey his king.


End file.
